Catch It If You Can: Exhibitions Closing Soon

The weather has turned and Autumn is upon us. While Keats’ season of mists and mellow fruitfulness can be simply gorgeous, sometimes the chilly mornings, dank afternoons and gloomy evenings can make even the most energetic among us long for nothing more than to succumb to the siren call of the cashmere blanket and cosy sofa… However, here are three exhibitions we at IC thought well worth venturing out for and catching before they close.

Georgia O’Keeffe at Tate Modern: most of us are familiar with O’Keeffe’s famous flower paintings but what makes this exhibition worth seeing is the broad cross-section of work it contains. There are some flowers in the show, including Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 (1932) sold in 2014 for $44.4 million, making it the most expensive painting by a female artist ever sold at auction, but also lesser known paintings (like a beautiful still life of a fig) and the stunning, bold New Mexico paintings. It’s the first exhibition of her work in the UK for over 20 years and the 100 paintings it contains mark the 100 years since her New York debut in 1916 and provide a glorious reminder of why she was and is such an important artist. Head over to Tate Modern before it closes on 30th October.

1916 was also the year British Vogue was founded and Vogue 100: A Century of Style celebrates those 100 years by showcasing 280 stunning photographs which chart history as well as the changes in fashion. Photographs by the world’s best photographers of some of the most famous celebrities from the last 10 decades sit alongside images of models, supermodels and truly spectacular fashion. It’s a visual feast which makes the heart beat just a little more quickly and if, like us here at IC, you’re riveted by BBC2’s documentary, ‘Absolutely Fashion’, then it’s a wonderful reminder of just why Vogue has flourished for as long as it has. At the Manchester Art Gallery until 30th October.

And finally some photography of a different sort: William Eggleston’s Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London is a collection of works from the pioneering American photographer, from his early work in the 1960s through to the modern day. It’s not just Eggleston’s use of colour which makes these photographs so special but the sense that there is always a story behind the image. There is a strangeness and psychological depth to Eggleston’s work which makes the pictures stick in the mind long after you’ve seen them. If you’ve never seen Eggleston’s work, then head over to the NPG before the exhibition closes on 23rd October. It’s well worth a visit.